Tennis lovers rejoiced yesterday when the Australian Open got underway in Melbourne. The Open marks the beginning of the tournament year for tennis players, so for the past eight weeks, they have been concentrating on reaching peak fitness, according to Dr Rob Duffield, lecturer in the School of Human Movement at Charles Sturt University (CSU). Once the frenetic pace of the tournament year gets underway, “It becomes quite difficult to find time for physical conditioning, so a lot of tennis coaches and tennis players do their fitness work on court using practice drills. The problem with these drills is that you don’t really know what’s going on,” said Dr Duffield, who spent part of last year quantifying the physical responses to popular tennis drills. His results will be published soon, and will be beneficial to tennis coaches. “Coaches can say well, this kind of drill is very aerobic and will improve physical fitness, while that kind of drill will increase shot velocity and shot accuracy,” he said.

The problem of child sex tourism will be discussed at a workshop at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury on Monday 12 February. “The purpose of the workshop is to achieve some consensus on what Australia is doing to respond to this problem in the Asia-Pacific region, and how strategies and responses can be better focused and improved”, said CSU lecturer in tourism and workshop convenor Dr Sallie Yea. Invited speakers include representatives from the Australian Federal Police, AusAID, Australian Institute of Criminology, University of Technology Sydney, ChildWise, and CSU. The workshop will be held in the Administration Building boardroom at the CSU Thurgoona Campus in Albury between 9.30 am - 4.30 pm. The morning sessions of the workshop will be open to CSU staff and the general public, at a cost of $20 to cover catering, but places are limited. For more information please contact Dr Sallie Yea, Lecturer in the School of Business and Information Technology, on 0419 530 058 or (02) 6051 9921.

Late last month, the Seven Network confirmed the signing of its US Bureau Chief, Anna Coren, to host the Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane editions of Today Tonight, Seven’s flagship prime time current affairs program. Ms Coren is yet another CSU alumnus to appear on national daily television. Breakfast TV rivals Melissa Doyle (Sunrise) and Jessica Rowe (Today) are also graduates of CSU’s Communication degree, as is Chris Bath, who presents Seven Late News Updates. Acting Head of the School of Communication, Bill Blaikie said, “The high profile of CSU’s Communication graduates is testimony to the quality of the people and the learning drawn to these degrees.  For every highly visible graduate there are at least another 100 working just as successfully in their chosen field.  Congratulations to every one of them”.

She is “first rate” and he is “just brilliant”, according to the mutual admiration society of Professor Alan Fish, Head of the International School of Business at Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Dr Julie Cogin, Senior Lecturer in Organisational Behaviour at the Australian Graduate School of Management. They recently took out the Australia New Zealand Academy of Management (ANZAM) Best Paper in a Stream Award at the latest ANZAM Conference held in Rockhampton, Queensland. Professor Fish supervised Dr Cogin’s PhD on the environmental factors that cause sexual harassment. “The award is a reflection of the quality of her work,” he said. Dr Cogin said Professor Fish is an excellent role model and teacher. “He is so encouraging. There were a lot of obstacles and challenges, but Alan kept reminding me that success was not the destination, it was the journey. Once we had access to data, it all came together very, very quickly.”

A new initiative within the NSW Ambulance Service (NSWAS) has seen 22 Charles Sturt University (CSU) Paramedic graduates begin a one-year internship. Peter O'Meara, Associate Professor in CSU’s School of Public Health said previously the CSU graduates had to train all over again within the NSWAS three-year entry program. “This recognises our students’ skills and knowledge and it means they get out into practice more quickly. It is excellent for CSU and we hope to see it expanded in the future, with the ultimate aim of all entry into the NSWAS being by university degree.” Professor O’Meara explained that other states have phased out their own training programs altogether in favour of university graduates. And, he added: “We understand anecdotally that the students are doing very, very well and have made quite an impression.”

Prime Minister John Howard announced last month that “the existing Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs will become the Department of Immigration and Citizenship” adding that the new title better reflected “the pathway to becoming an Australian inherent in a vibrant immigration program”. In the UK, multiculturalism has been described by Tory leader David Cameron as a “wall of division that must be torn down”. Dr Rabiul Islam, lecturer in Psychology at Charles Sturt University (CSU) has a special interest in people’s perceptions of the word ’multiculturalism’. He agrees that multiculturalism can be seen to divide society into ethnic groups. “The concept of multiculturalism has been misinterpreted. I think a better word is diversity, as it conveys a purpose to unite the nation. It is important that different ethnic groups mix with mainstream Australians and understand Australian values,” said Dr Islam.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) veterinary students will be given practical guidance on leadership, team-work, communication, emotional intelligence and conflict management tomorrow Wednesday 7 March as part of a veterinary leadership experience (VLE) workshop on CSU Wagga Wagga Campus. CSU lecturer in dairy cattle practice Natasha Lees said, “The VLE is a chance for students to further develop their skills enabling them to successfully make the transition from the lecture hall to the workplace”. Ms Lees believes the workshops will help CSU produce graduates that meet the needs of its regional, national and international communities. First year students in CSU’s School of Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences will be addressed during the workshop by Professor Rick Debowes and psychologist Kathy Ruby, both from Washington State University, USA.

Former US Vice President Al Gore was in the news last week when it was revealed his household energy bill amounted to US$30 000 a year. Jodie Kleinschafer, a Charles Sturt University PhD student currently studying ways households can become more energy efficient, said: “If he is being carbon neutral, using renewable energy sources that are 100 per cent green, then he is not being inconsistent with his environmental stance.” She says there are simple ways to reduce electricity consumption. “Turn down the temperature on your hot water, use the air conditioner less, and don’t turn your heater up quite so high.” Mrs Kleinschafer says “smart meters” are also a useful option for improving energy efficiency because they “give immediate feedback on how much electricity is being used and how much it is costing. Until our electricity is from 100 per cent renewable energy sources, it is in everybody’s best interest to become more energy efficient”.